SD9: Thinking Of Giving Up On It

[ditto1958]

I've had my SD9 for about 9 or 10 months now, I think, and have shot somewhere between 500 and 1000 rounds with it, and I'm starting to seriously consider giving up on it.

Why? Because I can't shoot straight with it.

I like pretty much everything else about it. The grip, the melonite finish on the slide, the build quality. The fact that it takes down like a Glock. Was a good price at the time, $399, marked down from I think $450 or so at Academy.

I have tried really hard to learn to shoot it accurately, but have not made much progress at all. I really think Smith needs to question their philosophy about how to make a "self defense" trigger. What good would this gun be for me for self defense if I can't hit what I'm aiming at, even at close distances?

Now, I'm not the worst shot in the world, but I'm not all that good, either. I try not to blame my tools too much, but the fact of the matter is this: when I got a Glock 23 a couple of months ago, and took it out back the first time, I hit 48 of 50 things I was shooting at, sometimes from quite aways away.

I'm thinking about trying an M&P 9, a Glock 19, or even a Ruger P95. I won't be doing anything today, or tomorrow, but I'm really thinking I need to make a change. The SD9 is supposed to be a self defense gun, but I can't trust mine for that.

 

[formula11]

spend the $21 and try the APEX spring kit before giving up on it

 

[EBK]

As stated try the Apex trigger kit. Its a huge improvement. If you are still not as acurate as you would like IM me and I will be more than happy to take it off your hands, I have been trying to find a SD9 or SD9 VE to keep my SD40 VE company.

 

[stringpicker]

Have you figured out if the issue is the gun or you? Have you had someone else shoot it with the same results? Have you fiddled with the sights any?

Give us some more info...

 

[Nakanokalronin]

I bought the Apex kit for my SD9VE, but left out the trigger spring because the Apex part made the reset to soft. It barely pushed the trigger forward, but with the other 2 springs in place, it's a fantastic shooter. I would take it over a Glock any day of the week.

After one range session I was right on with it. What type of grip do you use? I use a high, thumbs forward grip on every semi-auto which gives a much more stable shooting platform.

 

[pvpaz]

straight talk

any 1 listen to Alex Jones

 

[formula11]

I bought the Apex kit for my SD9VE, but left out the trigger spring because the Apex part made the reset to soft. It barely pushed the trigger forward, but with the other 2 springs in place, it's a fantastic shooter. I would take it over a Glock any day of the week.

After one range session I was right on with it. What type of grip do you use? I use a high, thumbs forward grip on every semi-auto which gives a much more stable shooting platform.

I feel that the trigger return spring made the most change on my gun and have no problem with the reset.Also smooth(remove the shear marks) off the trigger bar there it pushes up on the safety plunger

 

[ditto1958]

Have you figured out if the issue is the gun or you? Have you had someone else shoot it with the same results? Have you fiddled with the sights any?

Give us some more info...

It shoots where the sights are pointing when it goes bang. The challenge is keeping it pointed straight when I squeeze the trigger.

 

[growr]

you have given yourself the best possible diagnosis....I find no need to buy apex parts for any of my S&W's M&P or Sigma. I dry fire the heck out of them and they just keep on getting better and better.

I would fire the gun over a rest to confirm things or have a proven shooter run the gun as well.

Rarely do I really see it be the gun instead of the shooter.

Randy

 

[CGhelofxr]

Try this get a laser bore sight, dry fire with the it installed and see what the laser dot is doing. If it is moving during your trigger squeeze work on your technique.

 

[ditto1958]

Try this get a laser bore sight, dry fire with the it installed and see what the laser dot is doing. If it is moving during your trigger squeeze work on your technique.

I'm sure that's the problem. I imagine if 9mm practice ammo was plentiful, and not so expensive, I could improve with practice.

 

[J Rich]

Ditto

Place a coin on top of your slide at the front sight. Dryfire while looking down the sights without knocking the coin off the slide. The SD trigger is not that bad and can be overcome easily. if all else fails buy the apex kit. And if that don't work I'll give more than the pawn show will for it.

 

[CGhelofxr]

Oh one more thing, my personal experience has been with 115gr ammo, unless you are using high end ammo, the WWB seems to be all over the place, Federal is not to bad. I perfer to use 124gr or 147gr I get better shot placement, of course that is if you can find it these days!

 

[OKFC05]

To learn to dance, people take dance lessons.
To get better at golf, we take golf lessons.
To learn to shoot, we buy a gun and, trial and error, learn to flinch and yank the trigger.
Then we blame the gun and spend money on equipment instead of lessons. Oh well.

 

[ditto1958]

To learn to dance, people take dance lessons.
To get better at golf, we take golf lessons.
To learn to shoot, we buy a gun and, trial and error, learn to flinch and yank the trigger.
Then we blame the gun and spend money on equipment instead of lessons. Oh well.

Well, if you go back to my original statement, I was reluctant to blame the gun, or the trigger. I simply assumed handguns are much more difficult to shoot than long guns, and that I'm just not all that accurate a shooter.

Yet, when I took a brand new gun with a better trigger out of the box, and went out and shot it, suddenly I was more accurate than I ever dreamed I could be.

 

[shawn mccarver]

The whole purpose of the SD trigger is that it is better than the SIGMA and SW Series triggers, but not so light you will have a negligent discharge.

The easiest pistol to shoot well is a 1911 with a 2 1/2 pound trigger (yes, you CAN get them that low safely), but you cannot get any factory to make one like that because of perceived liability.

It is always a trade off. The SD trigger is more like a revolver trigger. Long and comparatively heavy, but actually lighter than a revolver in DA mode. Not as light, however, as a Glock or M&P, which, in turn, are not as light as a good 1911.

 

[OKFC05]

Yet, when I took a brand new gun with a better trigger out of the box, and went out and shot it, suddenly I was more accurate than I ever dreamed I could be.

A sure sign of trigger control problems is vast improvement with a very light trigger. Unfortunately all that is doing is masking the problem. The quicker and easier the gun fires, the less time the trigger jerk has to move it.
One of the diagnostics I use is that I control the trigger while the student sights the gun, and suddenly they shoot as well as I. Guns that were shooting a foot low at 5 yards suddenly hit dead center.
Anyone with normal vision can learn a sight picture quickly, but trigger control is a lifetime project, and professional helps makes learning a LOT quicker and easier.
Shooting more ammo seldom helps, unless the practice is the RIGHT kind of practice. Practicing a bad habit just makes it worse.
There are specific techniques to change bad habits, and a real live coach for instant feedback and correction is optimum.

 

[growr]

So well stated!! I use the same method because it works....

A sure sign of trigger control problems is vast improvement with a very light trigger. Unfortunately all that is doing is masking the problem. The quicker and easier the gun fires, the less time the trigger jerk has to move it.
One of the diagnostics I use is that I control the trigger while the student sights the gun, and suddenly they shoot as well as I. Guns that were shooting a foot low at 5 yards suddenly hit dead center.
Anyone with normal vision can learn a sight picture quickly, but trigger control is a lifetime project, and professional helps makes learning a LOT quicker and easier.
Shooting more ammo seldom helps, unless the practice is the RIGHT kind of practice. Practicing a bad habit just makes it worse.
There are specific techniques to change bad habits, and a real live coach for instant feedback and correction is optimum.

 

[ditto1958]

A sure sign of trigger control problems is vast improvement with a very light trigger. Unfortunately all that is doing is masking the problem. The quicker and easier the gun fires, the less time the trigger jerk has to move it.
One of the diagnostics I use is that I control the trigger while the student sights the gun, and suddenly they shoot as well as I. Guns that were shooting a foot low at 5 yards suddenly hit dead center.
Anyone with normal vision can learn a sight picture quickly, but trigger control is a lifetime project, and professional helps makes learning a LOT quicker and easier.
Shooting more ammo seldom helps, unless the practice is the RIGHT kind of practice. Practicing a bad habit just makes it worse.
There are specific techniques to change bad habits, and a real live coach for instant feedback and correction is optimum.

OK, your response intrigued me, and caused me to do some Internet searching, as well as to spend a little time with the triggers on the members of my meager firearms collection.

First off, there seems to be a difference between flinching and jerking the trigger while trying to get it to break. Everyone, from me on up to the world's best shooters, has to constantly work on not flinching.

With the SD, though, that's not the main problem. With my G23, if I fire it, and then let the trigger go forward until I feel the reset click, I know that to fire it again just takes a little bit of steady pressure. The feel is that you are trying to get one piece of metal to slide off another one. It makes a pretty crisp break, the trigger doesn't have to move very far, and it doesn't feel like any springs are involved.

With the SD, it's an entirely different experience. The reset takes place only after the trigger moves forward about half an inch. Then, when you squeeze the trigger to move it back to where it should break, you have to take it almost all the way back to the stop. Mine fires when the trigger is about 1/8 of an inch from the back.

The entire way back, you are pulling against spring pressure, because you are cocking the striker pin. The problem for me, is that it does not stop. It never fully cocks until the gun actually fires. You still feel the spring pressure even during what passes for the break.

It's hard to do without moving the pistol.

 

[ditto1958]

Duplicate post was causing my OCD to kick in.